Reservation for DU seats may be unfair, feel students

Delhi Government’s proposal to reserve 90% undergraduate seats in DU colleges, which are completely funded by it, for students from the Capital has drawn flak. Here are some reactions.

Priyamvadaa SharmaMaharani College, University of Rajasthan

I’m against the idea of any kind of reservation in general. If people think they deserve to study in a particular college, they should be able to prove it academically without the help of any such crutches. Besides, many of these colleges get grants from the Central government, which is basically the taxpayers’ money from all over the country. I really don’t see why people should have to indirectly fund colleges that their children might never get to study in. Local or not, if a student wants to study in Delhi University, he/she should have concrete academic achievements.

Sandeep SanchetiVivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, GGSIP University

This is just another politically correct government scheme; but thanks to the timing, it will receive more criticism than support. The scheme is good, but considering DU’s reputation and the steps taken by the university to match international standards, this scheme could damage the university’s credibility. The varsities in the US, which DU is busy aping these days, don’t have such a high percentage of reservations for natives. If DU is serious about raising its standards, it should do away with unnecessary reservations altogether.

Kainaz TanveerNational Law University, Delhi

I think that constituting 90% reservation for Delhi students is not only arbitrary but also unfair and will reduce the stellar standard of the university, since DU gets only the best students from across the country. The geographical location of a university should not matter, the quality of its students and faculty should. Favouritism for students of a particular region is regressive and will not bolster growth.

Shreya JoshyullaJai Hind College, University of Mumbai

The fact that this order has come out at a time when college admissions are over shows that it has been done with the elections in mind. It is a political ploy. Seats are reserved for SC/ST/OBCs anyway. If they reserve 12,000 seats for locals, then we won’t stand a chance of getting admission in any of the top varsities.

Ummang Sharma BajpaiHindu College, University of Delhi

Reservations in general are a futile exercise and harmful to the society in the long run. However, keeping in mind a short-term perspective and the acute absence of centralised assessment of students’ ability and aptitude in India, there is a huge proportion of students based in Delhi who are unable to get education opportunities in their own city. Applicants often complain about how students from various state boards come in and take up their seats. Delhiites however do not find the same opportunity elsewhere – colleges in other states often deduct a certain amount from the aggregate percentage of the non-local student. Hence, for a Delhiite – especially from the general category, this step may provide some relief.

HT Poll: A poll on whether 12,000 undergraguate seats should be reserved across 28 Delhi University colleges. A majority of respondents were against the idea.